A Humboldt County Sheriff's Office sergeant was arrested early Friday morning on allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman while on duty.

Investigators with the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office arrested Eureka resident Jason Scott Daniels, 40, at about 5:30 a.m., and booked him into county jail on suspicion of sexual battery and sexual penetration with a foreign object. Both offenses were allegedly committed against a single victim while Daniels was on duty.

Earlier this year, Daniels received a certificate of recognition from the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors for his work to save a suicidal mother of two who was threatening to jump off the Willow Creek Bridge.

Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos declined to release any details regarding the allegations against Daniels, but said the case will be investigated thoroughly before his office makes a charging decision.

"I can confirm that he was arrested," Gallegos said, "but I think it's important for people to remember that an arrest is not evidence of criminal activity. An investigation is ongoing, and ... when it is complete it will be provided to myself, or one of the attorneys in this office, for review to determine if there is sufficient evidence to charge a crime. Certainly, we take any allegations of this type seriously."

Gallegos said the alleged offenses occurred "relatively recently," and that an investigation was launched as soon as the allegations came to the attention of his office. He would not comment on what, if any, relationship existed between Daniels and the alleged victim.

Daniels, who was hired by the sheriff's office in 2000 and promoted to the rank of sergeant in April 2011, posted $100,000 bail and was released from custody shortly after his arrest.

Sheriff Mike Downey said Daniels has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal investigation. He said the DA's office informed him about an investigation into allegations against Daniels earlier this week.

"All I can tell you is this is a criminal investigation that was initiated and conducted by the district attorney's office," Downey said, adding that he couldn't comment on the specifics of the case because it is a personnel matter and a criminal investigation being carried out by another agency.

Daniels -- who has worked as a field-training officer, a member of the county gang task force and a member of the sheriff's office crisis negotiation team -- has been acting as a supervisor to one of the sheriff's office's units working the graveyard shift for the last few years, according to Downey.

The sheriff said his office will conduct an internal investigation, if it's determined to be warranted.

Daniels, who worked for both the Trinidad and Blue Lake police departments before joining the sheriff's office, grew up in the local area. He graduated from Eureka High School and the College of the Redwoods Police Academy. According to a press release announcing his promotion in 2011, Daniels was married with two children at the time.

In April, Daniels negotiated with a 21-year-old woman for about 90 minutes as she stood on a 2-inch ledge above a 75-foot drop into the riverbed below. Daniels talked to the woman and then seized a moment when she leaned in close, grabbing her by the hair and pulling her over the bridge railing to safety.

In an interview with the Times-Standard, Daniels was somewhat dismissive of any hero talk, saying: "It's just what we do."